


Your Favorite Fan

by PerditusFic



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-10
Updated: 2019-03-10
Packaged: 2019-11-15 05:55:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,882
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18067838
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PerditusFic/pseuds/PerditusFic
Summary: Emma's favorite author is finally in Boston doing a book signing. Ruby messes it up big time before she unintentionally makes up for it. SQ





	Your Favorite Fan

**Author's Note:**

> Just an old one-shot I never posted.
> 
> Enjoy.

"God I can't believe you have me here at this snooze fest." Ruby sighed standing next to her friend as they waited in line. "Seriously, Emma. No music. Like where is the fucking party?"

"Ruby, shut up," Emma hissed, giving the glaring man looking back at them a nervous smile. "I said I'd go with you to that concert if you let me come here."

"You need to get out more. You spend your life cooped up in our apartment reading those dumb books…I don't even know why I agreed to come here." Emma rolled her eyes and pushed her glasses up her nose with her book clutched close to her chest. "There are people here three times our age."

"She writes good books. Her noir series is the best there is. They probably can relate to the books."

"Yeah, because they're old as fuck and the books are set in a time that's old as fuck," Ruby said. Someone behind them let out a loud shushing sound and Ruby spun around on them. Emma cringed, glancing ahead. She was only four people away from seeing her favorite author in person.

Unfortunately, as great of a friend Ruby was, her temper sucked - especially at the wrong times.

Emma turned around and pulled on her friend's arm hoping to stop whatever was about start before it happened.

"Ruby, please. Not now. She's right there. You can fight whoever you want after," Emma said. Her plead fell on deaf ears.

"You got a problem?" Ruby sneered in the man's face.

"Well yeah, I do. It's one thing you're loud but you're insulting half the people here."

"I wasn't talking to you anyway. Just huff and grumble like everyone, instead of butting your ass in my conversation."

Emma turned away from the argument breaking out and sighed. She couldn't help the downturn of her lips at her dream slowly fading out of her reach.. No way was she not going to get kicked out along with Ruby before she could get her book signed. The yelling behind her faded into the background as she now was close enough to hear the author talking and chuckling with the person she was currently signing a book for.

Emma pulled her book away from her chest and looked down at the cover running her finger over the raised lettering of the title and author's name.

"R. Mills." Emma sighed. She shook her head and dropped the book in her bag hanging across her shoulder. At the corner of her eye she saw the two men probably in charge of security coming over to them. "Ruby…"

"Hang on, Em-"

"No, I'm serious. Ruby…Ruby."

Emma tried pulling on her friend's arm. She spent most of her time studying and reading and was more than likely unfit to take her friend on physically. So her attempts to pull the brunette away from the extremely heated argument were useless until security was shadowing over them.

"Ruby…"

The scruffy man put a hand between Ruby and the other man and they separated instantly but still continued to throw words.

"Ma'am," he said to Ruby. "I'm going to need you to calm down."

"I am calm." Ruby growled.

"Please, Ruby," Emma said. "Do as he says."

"Fine. I'm calm," she said with a little less hostility. "I'm fine."

"Good," he said glancing between the three of them. "Unfortunately, I'm going to have to ask you three to leave."

"What!" Ruby shouted. She could feel Emma's heart shattered and she instantly felt guilty. "You can't do that. My friend has been wanting to be here for months...years even."

"I'm sorry to hear that but this is a public disturbance. All involved must leave the premises."

The man Ruby was fighting with huffed and walked away. The other guard followed him to make sure he did cause any more trouble on his way out. The guard still with them put his hand out gesturing to the door and Emma obeyed and started to leave. Ruby opened her mouth to protest but at her friend's dejected submission she followed behind her.

* * *

The chatter around them was the only thing filling the silence between the two friends. Emma hadn't said a word since they left the signing. Ruby sighed to herself and put a hand on the blonde's shoulder. To her relief, she didn't shrug it away.

"I'm really sorry, Em. I just lost my temper, I don't know what happened. It was stupid," Ruby said.

"It's okay," Emma said.

"I promise I'll make this up to you."

"It's okay, Ruby."

"No, it's not. You've wanted to get a book signed by that woman for three years and when you finally get the chance, I go and ruined it for you. I'll make this up to you. I'll save up so you can go to the next one."

"Ruby," Emma said. "It's fine."

"No, I'll pay for it. She's never in Boston and we can make the trip to New York once a year if we're lucky." Emma quietly shook her head and Ruby grabbed her arm to turn her around and leaned in close. "Her next signing in New York, I promise you you're going."

"Okay," she replied.

"Anything I can do now? Make it a little better?" Ruby asked.

"I really just want to get my drink and go home."

"Okay, we'll go home."

"Ruby you should go to your concert."

"It was free for me and a plus one. I won't be missing out if I don't go."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive. We can stay at home and have a comic book nerd movie marathon. I know how much you love those Marvel movies."

"Sure." Ruby felt the guilt lighten up a little at the small smile that formed on her friend's lips for a short moment. Suddenly her phone rang and reached into her pocket and looked at the screen.

"It's Belle."

"Take it. It's okay."

"Thanks, Em. Meet me outside when you're done."

Emma nodded and turned back to the line. The bell over the door rung a few times and she sighed to herself. She glanced down at her bag and reached her hand in to pull out the book. She looked at it and flipped through the pages. It was disappointing to have saved the money and come all this way and still have a blank inside cover.

"Good book?" someone questioned behind her.

Emma wasn't much for being social so she didn't bother to turn around and dropped her hand holding the book to her side, "Wonderful book."

"I don't know if I'm convinced."

"No, it's really an amazing book. I just missed my only chance to get the author to sign it," Emma said. "I really do recommend it."

"Bad day then?"

"Kind of."

"I'm sorry to hear that. Would it be any better if I bought you a coffee?"

"Look, no offense but-" Emma froze as she turned around to the voice.

She'd avoided watching interviews and listening to podcast that featured the author she adored so that the first time she saw the woman face to face would be all the more amazing but it backfired slight as she was so close to rejecting the offer of being bought coffee by the one woman who's words had her attention all the time.

"You're…you…"

"I'm me, yes." The woman smiled. "I appreciate the kind words."

"You're R. Mills…what…what are you doing here?" Emma stuttered, pushing her glasses up her nose again.

"Writers need their coffee." She chuckled. Her laugh left Emma breathless and it was true she looked better in person than anyone could ever imagine.

"Yeah right…the deadlines must be awful for you. You can take my spot." Emma gestured to the counter since it was her turned now.

"Well, I would hope so. I'm buying you coffee."

"You were? Right…right." Emma smiled awkwardly and stepped out of the woman's way, cursing herself for acting like a total idiot.

"I'll take an espresso to go, thank you." The brunette turned to Emma curiously. "What would you like? Don't be shy either, I have enough to get whatever you like."

"I don't doubt it but I'm not really a coffee drinker. I'll get a hot chocolate," Emma rambled.

The barista nodded and they finished up to the transaction within seconds and only a moment later their drinks were ready. The author thanked the girl at the register before turning around and walking up to Emma and handed her the big to go cup of hot chocolate.

"Thank you, Miss Mills," Emma said.

"Please, call me Regina."

"Oh okay…cool." Regina looked at her in amusement and it clicked shortly with Emma. She offered her hand hoping it wasn't sweaty, "I'm Emma, Emma Swan."

Regina took it and smiled. "Nice to meet you, Emma. How about I sign that book now?"

"Really?"

"Of course. I'm sure you didn't come all this way for nothing."

Emma toned down her obvious excitement and handed over the book.

"You have a pen?" Regina questioned. "I'm embarrassed to have to ask."

"Yeah, I have one somewhere." Emma sat down her cup on the table next to them and started going through her bag. She could feel the redness creeping up her neck at all the crap she had to dig through to get to a pen. "Sorry if you have somewhere to be."

"I've got time. No need to worry, Miss Swan."

The blonde blushed at the use of her last name as she finally snagged a pen and pulled it out, holding it up to the older woman. The brunette exchanged the pen for her coffee and signed her name on the inside cover. It was hidden to the blonde but she excited and bursting at the seams. The woman was so nice and perfect in every way. She was a dream and she happened to be there in a coffee shop buying her coffee and signing her book.

"Mills, five minutes up," the guard who had escorted her and Ruby out earlier called out.

Regina snapped the book closed and handed it back to Emma. She glanced at the pen and said, "I like this pen, it writes quite nicely."

"It was an extra credit project in my class last semester. I have a dozen of them."

"I can have this one?" Regina questioned, taking her coffee back.

"Yeah, of course you can."

"Thank you. Have a nice day, Miss Swan," she said in departure.

"You too," Emma said back, with an adorable smile on her face as she watched the woman leave with the security. Biting her lip, Emma opened the front cover and beamed at the signature but then her face fell into to total shock at the note below it.

"Emma?...Emma?" Ruby called standing in front of the woman. The blonde looked up to her in awe. "What? What else went wrong?"

"Thank you," Emma said pulling Ruby into a hug. "You're the best."

"I am? I mean, of course I am…but why?" Ruby asked in confusion. Emma opened the book cover and showed it to her.

 _Maybe call me sometime._  
  
A phone number was written under it.


End file.
